findark

R is very rare on long domestic flights, but "ever" is an exaggeration. I cleared two RPUs on p.s. at booking in 4Q16, and have seen open R on several EWR-SFO flights this year. Plus I see R from time to time on SFO/WAS, especially the SFO-IAD flight which gets in after midnight.

WineCountryUA

If you are looking for just 1 counterpoint, count me.

There is no denying R especially at prime times and prime routes are exceedingly rare and much reduced from previous years but they are there with a little flexibility.

Kacee

To echo others, "never" is an overstatement. I was able to upgrade two friends on IAD-SFO using RPUs in December.

But I do think UA is at the point where their marketing of these things is borderline misleading due to the extreme difficulty actually clearing the upgrade.

tstauck

I used my two RPU's EWR - LAX and both were available at booking and cleared instantly. That said, both were Saturday flights and I did not find any availability on days other than Sat.

Checking randomly now, I found EWR - SFO available on Sat April 15th, two different flights even.

- Tom

Billygreg

Ok fine if I want a terrible inconvenient flight time then sure I can find R space. But I don't fly at terrible inconvenient times. I need to be in places at certain times and I would like to be home occasionally. So i don't normally plan West Coast meetings on Sunday morning or fly out to SFO to arrive at 1AM when I have a 9AM meeting the next morning. So yes never is an exaggeration but most trips are not that flexible. And I think UA is breaking their contract with me and every other GS and 1k by making RPUs essentially useless and marketing them as this awesome benefit that we get that makes us special and shows us how much UA loves us when it is a scam that borders on criminal.

mkasperzak

Had this discussion today with MileagePlus while asking why a failed RPU had not been refunded, then asked why even offer them if they are unusable between hubs, which is what I fly? Of course, there was no helpful response.

Ditto! Anybody offer any creative solutions other than just add more upgradeable seats?

Evident

my rate of getting gpus and rpu's refunded automatically is about 25%. usually i have to call and wait on the line for an hour before they redeposit them into my account. I feel they do this on purpose to people to get those who aren't vigilant. same with mile accruals. or maybe their system is really just that bad!

AirbusFan2B

They tried that with me too (MP desk telling me on the phone it would take 3 days) following a long conversation about whether they had actually been pulled from my account so they might not be due back. Lots of checking and investigating; 10-20 minutes worth. Enough! How dare they? I wrote the 1K desk. They wrote back within 20 minutes that the RPUs had been redeposited. I checked and they were there.

skgolf91

i guess we are one of the lucky ones.. 2 GPUs cleared on SFO-EWR in March 2016. 2 GPUs cleared on EWR-GVA for Jan 2, 2 GPUs(that were extended to March) cleared on EWR-PUJ and PUJ-EWR. 1 RPU just cleared for my wife's friend's 1/29 flight. not sure what happened to the last RPU tho...

Aussienarelle

My last couple of RPUs cleared but was initially waitlisted. Was informed over the weekend that my LAS flight in February cleared. So I have had no issues with RPUs recently, but they are not necessarily clearing at time of booking.

I am still to try and book anything with my GPUs this year but had 100% success last year so expecting the same this year.

IADFlyer123

My last 4 RPUs havent cleared and I have had to resort to buying upgrades at check-in.

transportprof

This year, I've used RPUs to ORD, BWI, and HNL.
It's the same principle as GPU's - learn to find solutions that work.
So instead of flying into IAD or DCA, I went to BWI and took a $7 MARC train into the District. Or instead of sitting in coach to LIH, I'll be flying in a flat bed to HNL and taking an inter-island hop to LIH. These are the tactics that I owe to FT, and this is what I meant when I said that one can learn a lot by listening to the FT sages!

nomad420

Funny to find this thread. Was on a similar wiki on "how to use them" they may as well just merge them as it basically is the same dismal posts about how worthless they are. I am sitting on 10 GPU and at least 6 RPU's. I am 1K and have tried to use them several times. I have had a couple RPU's clear last minute on a SFO -KOA flight apart from that nothing over the past year. I booked a flight from SFO-MUC NINE MONTHS in advance leaving on a Friday PM and in never cleared. Ended up tortured in a E+ plus seat on the long flight as I couldn't even buy up to Biz on the flight by the time I realized what was happening. After that I said never again. If I can't find any R/PN seats when I book I don't use them. Yes they will probably just expire worthless but I think that is basically what UA wants. When I read about people paying $5K to buy up to 1K for Plat I have to laugh and say save your money. They only thing about 1K is you actually have to fly 1K on UA.... uggghhhh

transportprof

Actually, you don't have to fly 1K on UA metal to reach 1K. Just under half of my PQM will come from AC, LH, and TG this year.

On your SFO-MUC travail, did you look into R space via FRA, LHR, and then double connections through BRU, AMS, or even MXP? That's how you get to use the GPUs and avoid the disappointment of dying on the waitlist that you set yourself up for.

nomad420

Consider yourself lucky to at least have that option. Read my post above. Another time when I didn't clear on a trip from SFO-FRA the last minute buy up was embarrassingly high yet I paid it as I was flying with my wife. I don't even want to post the amount